Wales lagging behind rest of UK on unemployment

December 17, 2014 11:01 AM

The Welsh unemployment rate is reducing at a slower rate than any other UK region new figures released today show.

Statistics published by ONS show that compared to last year the Welsh unemployment rate dropped by just 0.3%, compared to 1.3% in Northern Ireland, 1.6% in Scotland and the South West, 2% in the West Midlands, 2.3% in London.

"We've seen and continue to see a fall in Welsh unemployment, which is welcome, but we have the slowest growth rate of the whole of the UK, year on year.

"We need to find out why the unemployment rate is falling six times faster in the West Midlands and four times faster in Scotland for example.

"The Welsh Labour Government needs to redouble it's efforts to reduce unemployment in Wales, especially for the long term unemployed. Its job creation schemes remain unambitious and badly targeted.

"What is clear is that even though we're heading in the right direction by reducing unemployment, the leaps forward made elsewhere in the UK are not being repeated here in Wales thanks to over a decade of poor economic management by the Welsh Labour Government."